Michelle Gallagher

Michelle Gallagher comes from Framingham and is our next RET Teacher of the Week!

An eighth grade physical science and chemistry teacher at Fuller Middle School, Gallagher has always been drawn to the teaching career but unexpectedly went into the science field.

“I’ve always known I wanted to be a teacher. I love being around kids and helping them understand things they may not and why those things make sense,” she said. “It wasn’t until I was ‘thrown’ into science because of the need in the district that I became a science teacher.”

Gallagher has participated in RET programs before, and decided to take a chance on the Photonics one for its emphasis in the lab. “I couldn’t ask for a better experience,” she said. While the program has been decent, she’s had a bit of trouble finding enough time to work with REU Kaily Granados. Gallagher said, “We have such a short time together and there is so much to learn and accomplish that [Kaily] is pulled in many different directions.”

Gallagher feels the same way about her curriculum. She wishes it would not have to be squeezed in such a short amount of time.

“I would love to be able to insert more hands-on experiences for the students by time doesn’t always allow for that,” she said. “STEAM is such a great way to learn but not always feasible.”

Gallagher hopes to see more women enter the STEM field in the future as well as see more hand-on approaches in the class room. Maybe this REU experience will give her some ideas on how to implement more lab research at the middle school level.

For now, Gallagher focuses her free time on her children. Her hobbies/activities include coaching soccer, music, community service, and cooking.